July 5th, 2017
(As prepared for Delivery)
Good morning!
It is my great pleasure to be here today. On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I would like to extend my warmest welcome to all of you for traveling to Taiwan to attend this meaningful workshop. I also want to thank our National Fire Agency of the Ministry of the Interior and the American Institute in Taiwan for working closely with my ministry to make this event possible.
Taiwan and the United States have been dedicated to building a comprehensive, durable and mutually beneficial partnership for years. And the Taiwan-U.S. Global Cooperation and Training Framework (GCTF) is an important milestone in our bilateral relations, as it has provided the venue for our two countries to join hands to contribute to the development and capacity-building of other countries in the Asia-Pacific and around the world. Since its inauguration in June 2015, Taiwan and the U.S. have jointly held 7 workshops, with over 135 government officials from more than 20 countries participating, covering areas of public health, women’s empowerment, information and communication technology and energy efficiency.
Today’s workshop is the first ever GCTF event dedicated to HA/DR, which is a topic of crucial importance to countries in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond. Like many of your home countries, Taiwan is prone to natural disasters and often suffers from earthquakes, typhoons and landslides. We gained our experiences the hard way. Therefore, through this workshop, we hope to facilitate dialogue and cooperation on HA/DR related issues among countries in the region, so as to build a strong regional HA/DR network that can mobilize more effectively when needed, help mitigate the impact of natural disasters and reduce the loss of human lives and properties.
Let me once again welcome all of you to my country. We look forward to working closely with you and your respective government on HA/DR and other issues of mutual concern in the future. I also want to wish this workshop a great success and you all a wonderful stay in Taiwan.
Thank you!